The Truth in the Myth
The Truth in the Myth is the eighteenth episode of the sixth season of Bones. Summary The remains of a man who hosted a mythbuster program are found in a West Virginia wilderness, along with rumors of his death by Chupacabra and the presence of his rival from another show. Things only get more complicated after a video surfaces that puts paid to the theories of the crime. Back at the lab, Vincent Nigel-Murray has returned and combines his duties with working his Step 9, which results in some startling revelations. Synopsis A couple treks through the woods on a blind date. Gary is obsessed with butterflies. Kim is not. Still, they fall to the ground and start making out ... and then spot a badly decomposed body. "I hate online dating," the woman says with a sigh. Later, B&B arrive at the scene and Bones smells sulfur coming from the remains. The ribs, meanwhile, have bite marks on them -- and the heart is gone. "It's like something ate it right out of his chest," Camille says at the lab. Vincent, meanwhile, announces he is participating in Alcoholics Anonymous. "I urinated in your tadpole tank, Dr. Hodgins," Vincent says. "I apologize." Vincent then theorizes the victim was killed by a "creature yet unrecognized by scientific consensus" -- the chupacabra, a spiny creature the size of a bear which supposedly sucks the blood of its victims and leaves behind the smell of sulfur. Hodgins is excited. Naturally, Camille is unconvinced. Later, Angela discovers the victim's clothes were brand new -- a tourist. Booth runs the description by hotels and lodges in the area and gets a hit: Lee Coleman, a TV show host who investigated myths. Apparently, he was out looking for the chupacabra. "You can't be killed by something that doesn't exist," Bones insists. Moments later, the partners arrive at the Pine Tree Manor and meet owner Randy and activities coordinator Melissa. Randy then shows Booth a drawing of the supposed creature, a nasty beast. Hodgins calls with news: reptile scales and mammalian hair were found on the victim. Again, Bones declares it "impossible." Sweets then interviews the TV show producer, who explains Lee did have trouble with a few subjects. For example, he once debunked a pet psychic, who lost a lot of business and then sent a dog after Lee, though nothing could be proved. That episode ran again just two weeks ago -- right before Lee disappeared. Interesting. Sweets visits the pet psychic, who calls Lee a "horrible man." She denies sending the dog after Lee. "He does regret the pain he caused," says the pet lady, who claims the dog acted on his own. She then offers to "talk" with a goat found near the victim's body. Sweets gives up -- and excuses himself from the apartment. Cut to Hodgins and Angela, who search the woods for hidden cameras as Lee frequently used them to debunk myths. Hodgins spots one in a nearby tree. "He might've recorded his own murder," says an excited Angela. Back at the lab, Vincent continues to apologize to his coworkers. Turns out that he spread multiple rumors about sleeping with Angela, Camille, and Bones. Bones laughs out loud, calling the concept "absurd." Vincent is oddly hurt. Later, the producer revisits Booth. "If someone killed Lee, I could be next," she says. How so? Turns out Lee got another host -- an "expert" on mythical animals named Terry -- booted off the network. Yesterday, Terry sent the producer a threatening note. Angela and Camille, in the meantime, watch the footage from the hidden camera. Just before Lee shuts off the camera with a remote, the goat's ears perk up. Angela attempts to work some "audio magic" and isolate the sound. Hodgins, meanwhile, reports the hair found on the victim comes from a boar while the scales belong to an iguana. "This seems to be shaping up to be nothing but a hoax," he sadly says. B&B head to the local public-access show where Terry goes on and on about mythical beasts. He invites Bones on the air -- a mistake as she immediately begins insulting his "profession." She then announces she is there to question him in the murder of Lee. "And we'll be right back," Terry says into the camera. Cut to the interrogation room, where Sweets asks Terry about the email he sent to the producer. "I was angry that I lost my show," he explains. Not surprisingly, Terry insists Lee was killed by the chupacabra. Angela, in the meantime, has been able to isolate the sound on the video. It resembles a deep growl. "It has a recurring, consistent pattern that suggests it's mechanical," Angela notes. Vincent interrupts with news: the puncture wounds on the ribs are consistent with the bite of a black bear. Also: it appears as if the victim was hung upside down from a tree to drain his blood. Hodgins, meanwhile, has found evidence of "Jaw Jelly," which is used to make the mouths of stuffed animals appear wet. Bones suggests the bites came from a taxidermied bear. And where would the team find a stuffed bear? B&B head back to the Pine Tree Manor, which is absolutely packed. The death of Lee has proven great for business. Owner Randy just happens to have rope burns on his hands -- just like he would if he tried to hang an animal or man from a tree. Moments later, Randy sits in the interrogation room. "I didn't kill the guy, but I did the rest," Randy admits. He said that he came across the dead body and then tried to make it look like the "creature" did it. "The lodge was in debt," says Randy, who explains he used the stuffed bear and sprayed insecticide to make it smell like sulfur. But he insists he didn't kill the myth-killer. Later, Angela IDs the sound from the hidden camera as an ATV. And where would we find an ATV? CUT to lodge event organizer Melissa riding such a vehicle. She spots B&B -- and raises her hands in surrender. Apparently, Melissa accidentally shot Lee, who wasn't wearing an orange safety vest. She then told Randy, who used it to his advantage. Case closed. Cast Main Cast * Temperance Brennan - Emily Deschanel * Seeley Booth - David Boreanaz * Jack Hodgins - T.J Thyne * Angela Montenegro - Michaela Conlin * Camille Saroyan - Tamara Taylor * Lance Sweets - John Francis Daley Intern of the Week *Vincent Nigel-Murray - Ryan Cartwright Guest Cast *Randy Shepard - Kevin Will *Terry Bemis - R.F. Daley *Nadine Tweed - Jerrika Hinton *Lee Coleman - Leigh McCloskey *Diane Michaels - Jo Anne Worley *Kim - Sarah Baker *Gary - Chad Jamian Williams *Melissa Lawson - Laura Eichhorn Notes * R.F. Daley is the real life father of John Francis Daley. I don't know what that means Booth: I'm confused. Bones: Me too, and I don't like the feeling. Quotes *"Of course you're going to belittle astrology. You're a Virgo." - Angela to Hodgins *'Angela:' This is why I'm against hunting! *'Cam:' Not because of Bambi? *'Angela:' Alright, mostly because of Bambi. *'Booth:' Here's to stupidity and greed. The two elements that keep us employed. Category:Season 6 Category:Episodes